Austin ISD submits district‑managed restart turnaround plans for Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools

Austin Independent School District officials presented turnaround plans for Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools at the board's June 26 meeting and said the district will submit those plans to the Texas Education Agency by the June 30 deadline.

Chief Jacob Reach told trustees the district selected the district‑managed restart strategy and will implement the state-recommended Accelerated Campus Excellence (ACE) model. ACE requires five core pillars: strategic staffing, instructional excellence, extended day, social‑emotional supports for students and staff, and community partnerships. Reach said the district selected ACE to build on existing campus partnerships and to keep the three schools open as district campuses.

“The district managed restart was really the best strategy available for us to support these three campuses,” Reach said.

Each campus plan describes specific staffing and program investments. District administrators said the restart adds approximately nine full‑time equivalent positions per campus, customized to each school’s needs: assistant principals for Adobe (Dobie) and Webb, instructional coaches, counselors and content interventionists (four at Burnet; two at Adobe and Webb), wellness counselors and stipends for extended instructional time. The plans also allocate family-support funds and stipends for supplemental work.

Reach said the turnaround plans set three measurable goals the district will track: the state accountability rating (target of a C or better), a 10% increase in the percentage of students served in special education who meet or master grade-level standards on STAAR, and improved MTSS (Multi‑Tiered System of Supports) documentation so every student receiving Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions has a clear progress‑monitoring plan.

The district plans to run the turnaround work in parallel with an 1882 contingency process — a state option that allows districts to propose partnerships with external providers — and to release a call for quality schools (an 1882‑style RFP) in case a partnership becomes the preferred path later in the year. Reach said the 1882 path is a contingency and not the primary approach; the district intends to move forward with the district‑managed restart unless monitoring suggests a different course is necessary.

Administrators described an active engagement timeline. They said Burnet and Webb were publicly notified May 1, Dobie previously had been notified in February, stakeholder engagement and plan development occurred through May, and the plans were posted for public review. The Texas Education Agency will respond by July 18 with approval or requested improvements; if TEA requests changes, the district would have 60 days to revise.

Community engagement features a strengthened Campus Advisory Council model (“CAC plus”) that expands membership beyond parents to include staff, students and community partners. Reach urged community members to sign up to serve on CACs and said the district will hold formal CAC training in September for the three campuses. Reach also said the district is working with a technical partner to support formative assessment, frequent monitoring and to pursue TEA grant and resource-school opportunities aligned to ACE.

Board members asked several operational questions about measures and monitoring. Trustee Foster pressed for stronger feeder‑pattern and cross‑school alignment to support middle‑school success. Trustee Hunter and others asked how the district will know early enough in the year whether the campuses are on track; Reach said MAP tests, released STAAR items and interim assessments will provide early indicators and that the district would make a December decision about moving to a contingency 1882 partnership if progress is insufficient. Under the district timeline, the staff aims to evaluate interim indicators by December 12 and determine whether to activate other options.

The district plans to report progress frequently and will incorporate family and community input throughout the school year.